The New Teacher
by VioletsforOphelia
Summary: In order to graduate on time and become the hero he's always dreamed, Hercules must find a way to pass his new horticultural studies class, i.e. gardening. Seems easy enough right? Except there's one issue: earning an A becomes slightly more difficult when the Lord of the Dead kidnaps your teacher. *Based off the Hercules Animated Series*


Author's notes: Hey, y'all! So I recently re watched Hercules and am currently watching the animated series (it's pretty could if you haven't seen it; Hades gives me life). Apparently, there was supposed to be a story line in the animated series where Persephone was a teacher so I got inspired to make this little fic about it. It's Hades x Persephone if you couldn't tell, but it's not going to be exactly accurate to the actual myth since its Disney.

BTW, all the gods and goddesses in this story will stay true to their original Disney design.

Now that that's over with, onto the story! :D

* * *

**Prometheus Academy: **

"Wait, _what_'re you taking again, Herc? Did I hear that right? Or am I finally going _loco_?"

The young demigod banged his head against the locker, leaving noticeable dents in the metal. He groaned loudly. Hair in disarray and forehead swollen, he turned towards Icarus. His long-time friend was shocked to see Hercules' eyes so uncharacteristically sunken.

"_Horticulture Studies and Propagation 101_," he mumbled before returning to his previous action of slamming his head against the locker.

"Now hold on," Cassandra questioned, "Why, exactly, are you taking a _gardening_ class?"

Hercules sighed, uncaring that his locker door was a mess. "Let's just say my grades last year didn't do so great. So my advisor had me take another biology-related course to make up for the one I… _failed_," he choked out, "He said if I don't pass this class, I won't be able to graduate on time..."

Icarus placed a friendly hand on the demigod's back, giving him a sympathetic look. "No worries, pal, it happens to everyone. And look on the bright side! Your parents were farmers, so you're practically guaranteed an A! Who in the world could get a bad grade in gardening?"

"Well the old teacher of that class retired last year," Cassandra interjected, "And she was really good, I heard. No one's really sure who the new one is, so there's still a chance you could fai-"

"-Cassandra!" Icarus exclaimed, cupping his hands tightly over Hercules' ears. "_Don't ention-may e-they ord-way ailed-fay!"_

"Uh, Icarus," Hercules questioned, trying to pry the hands off his head, "What are you doing? Hey!"

The woman crossed her arms, unbothered by the two struggling and gathering the attention of their other classmates. She quirked a high brow. "Translation, please?"

Icarus struggled to keep clinging onto his friends back, still trying to cover his ears. "Don't mention the word _fail_, whoa, you really are strong pal! Anyway, Herc's probably super- aaaahhh!"

Finally, the younger student was thrown off, promptly flying into a marble column.

"Ooh, sorry, buddy. What was all of that for, though?" Hercules laughed, seeming to be in higher spirits than before, "What were you guys saying?"

Cassandra casually shrugged a shoulder. "Nothing, Hercules. Class is almost starting and I don't want you to be late. I'll take care of the flying dobe over there, just...do your best in that class. Pass, or whatever."

The demigod gave her a friendly smile. "Aw, shucks, thanks Cassan-"

"-I said whatever! Now get to class!"

"Will do," Hercules smiled, running a hand through his hair to fix it, "Thanks, you guys! See you for lunch later!"

Icarus, who was being supported by Cassandra, gave his friend a dizzy wave. "Buh-bye, pal! You'll dooooo _grreeeeat_!"

* * *

One thing had struck Hercules like a brick as he entered the class. Observing his surroundings and the anatomical diagrams of flowers scattered throughout the room, he noticed that he was the only boy in class.

His other classmates giggled and began to whisper among themselves upon seeing Hercules enter the room. Many had different forms of flora growing in their hair, typically having shades of green, orange, or yellow skin. Like leaves.

'_Wow, there's a lot of cute nymphs in this class. Maybe it won't be so bad after all.'_

He took his seat up front, closest to the window, admiring the cute potted plants happily soaking up the warm sun. He turned to his right, greeting a young nymph with curly vine-like hair and glasses.

"Hi! My name's Hercules," he said, holding a friendly hand out.

She smiled and shook the offered hand. Hercules couldn't help but notice the giggles and _'oooh'_s coming from her friends.

"Thespia," she replied pleasantly, "A pleasure."

Hercules' grin widened as he shifted more comfortable to face her. "Can I ask what type of nymph you are? Assuming you are one, of course!"

Thespia giggled into her hand. She thought it was cute how eager he was. "No, you're correct, I'm a nymph. We _all _are," she gestured towards her friends, "More specifically, I'm a leimoniad."

The demigod tilted his head in confusion. "What is that?"

The nymph adjusted her glasses and fixed a stray hair-vine. "Basically, it's a nymph associated with meadows and pastures. They're lesser known than other nymphs like drayads or nereids."

"Oh, neat!"

"And you're the son of Zeus, right?"

"How'd you know?"

"You're rather well-known throughout Prometheus Academy. Most children of the gods are," she explained, "Me and my friends knew who you were right away the moment you came in. I'm a bit confused, though."

"Hm? Why's that?"

"You want to be a hero, right? Why are you taking a horticultural studies class? I can't imagine a guy like you'd be interested in gardening."

The topic made Hercules pause. He sighed and ran a hand through his locks. "I, uh, need to take and pass this class in order to graduate…"

"Oh!" Thespia exclaimed, "I see! Well, if you ever need a study buddy, I'm more than happy to help."

The demigod gave her a lopsided smile. "Thanks, I appreciate it."

Before Hercules could say anything else, the door opened. A noticeably warm presence flooded the room, filling it with something akin to the scent of flowers and freshly-cut grass. The plants decorating the room seemed to lean in closer towards the source.

Everyone else in the class gasped aloud, watching with rapt attention the person standing in front of the room. Even Thespia looked dumbfounded. Hercules quickly assumed that was their teacher, but she didn't seem threatening in the slightest.

The woman seemed rather young, radiating a warm aura. Her skin was a light shade of pink, contrasting to her blonde hair and darker pink flower crown on her head. She wore a simple white toga with a gold brooch.

'_She must be a goddess,' _he thought, _'it would explain the aura.'_

"'Morning, class! Hope you're all awake," she chirped, "How are you all doing this fine morning?"

When no one else responded, still focusing on the woman in front of them, Hercules responded.

"Good!"

"Wonderful!" She clapped her hands together, "As many of you may have guessed, I'm going to be your new teacher. I'd like to note that if anyone is _not _supposed to be in 'Horticulture Studies and Propagation 101' at this time, I'm afraid you're in the wrong class… Anyone? Anyone? I'm more than willing to help if you need directions to your right class."

When no replied, she continued with a bright smile. "Excellent! Well, for starters, my name is Ms. Persephone, and I'm very excited to be teaching all of you this year! Now, before we go over the course material, I'll be taking attendance. Please let me know if I'm not pronouncing your name correctly, or if you'd like to be called something else, alright?"

As Persephone began to take attendance, scattered responses of "Here" and "Present" filled the room.

Hercules discretely turned towards Thespia. He whispered, "Hey, why does everyone look so shocked about the new teacher?"

"Here!" Thespia replied loudly and obediently. She turned towards Hercules after a few seconds and replied. "Don't you know who that is? That's Persephone!"

"-Well, yeah, I kinda got that part…"

"She's the beloved daughter of Demeter, goddess of the harvest! I've never seen either of them in person! Oh, I'm so happy that I chose to go to this school!"

Hercules chuckled. "Wow, luck must be on our side letting a horticulture goddess teach this class."

He put a hand on his chin. Now, Demter was one of the gods Hercules was less acquainted with but he did remember how often his adoptive parents would pray to her, always visiting her temples for a good harvest…

"Hercules?"

...He never knew she had a daughter, though. That's pretty neat.

"_Hercules_! is that you in the front?"

The demigod quickly snapped away from his thoughts. "Oh! Here! Im here! Sorry, I was just...admiring the flowers?"

The pink goddess smiled at the young man. She waved her hand, causing the flowers to become even more vibrant, almost dancing with life. The class stared at the blooms in awe.

"Yes, they are beautiful, but I hope you don't zone out too often in this class, Hercules," she replied gently, "And that goes for everyone else as well! I understand many of you probably think this will be an easy A class-and it should be if you simply do your work and pay attention to the lessons. Not only do I want you to learn, but I also want you succeed and graduate from this academy with flying colors. Now… did I get everyone's name?"

"Yes, Ms. Persephone. That's everyone," Thespia replied, happy that she was in this class. It had only been 10 minutes, and it was already her favorite.

"Wonderful!" Persephone chirped, "Let's continue. Now, as for the coursework…"

* * *

'_Rrrriiiing, rrrriiiing!'_

The pink goddess placed her chalk down. "Well, I suppose that's the bell! We'll be officially starting lessons tomorrow. Remember, make sure you wear old clothing on Friday! We _will _be going outside and gardening. Have a nice rest of your day everyone, see you tomorrow!"

Persephone waved to her students, bidding them goodbye before turning her attention towards the messy chalkboard.

Multiple choruses of 'goodbyes' and 'have a nice day, Ms. Persephone's filled the room. The school halls became more and more noisy as the students chatted, making their way to their next classes.

Hercules swallowed. He packed nervously, watching as the rest of the class left the room. He wanted to speak to his new teacher, but was too embarrassed to say anything while the rest of the class was there.

He looked at Persephone, who currently had her back facing him. She was busy erasing the chalkboard and writing down new lesson plans, quietly humming to herself.

"Hello?" he called out, "Ms. Persephone?"

"Oh! Hercules! I'm sorry, I thought everyone had left. What can I do for you?"

"Um, well...first of all, I just wanted to apologize for zoning out in class today. I promise I don't usually do that!"

"Oh, it's no problem at all, it happens to the best of us."

"And um… I'm gonna be honest, I need to pass this class in order to graduate. So I was wondering if there's any extra work I can do to try and catch up."

The pink goddess quirked a brow in confusion. "Catch up?" she asked, "Hercules, we haven't learned anything yet."

"I-I know, I just really wanna do good and pass this class. Everyone else here has way more experience with this kinda stuff than me, and I'm worried that I'll get… left behind or something like that."

Persephone looked at her student sympathetically. She gave the young demigod a kind smile. "Oh, Hercules, that's alright. You shouldn't try to compare yourself to others. There's always going to be people more _and _less experienced than you. Just because there are others in this class that know more about horticulture doesn't mean you can't catch up. I can tell you work hard, and I can promise you that I will do my absolute best to not leave anyone behind."

The demigod finally smiled, letting out a breath of relief. "Thank you so much, I really needed to hear that. It's just that the idea of not graduating and becoming a hero has really been stressing me out." He shifted his school bag before making his way towards the door.

"Of course, anytime," Persephone called out. "If you have any other problems, feel free to come and talk to me."

By the doorframe, Hercules gave the goddess a thumbs up. "Sounds good, thank you."

Before he could leave, the goddess called out to him once more. "Oh, and Hercules?"

"Hm?"

"The fact that you're really willing to stay in a gardening class filled with only girls makes you a hero in my book," she grinned.

The demigod smiled, budding her goodbye once more as he finally left the classroom.

"Herc, buddy! How'd your class go?"

Hercules smiled and shrugged his shoulders, happily taking a large bite out of his sandwich. "You know, I think it's gonna be good. My classmates are alright and the teacher's really nice."

"Well, that's good for you," Cassandra frowned, "Because I hate my class. My teacher's a sexist pig. Maybe I'll just drop out now and join your class Hercules."

"We'd have room," he replied, mouth full of sandwich, "We have a small class of 15 and besides me, everyone else is a girl."

"Woah, and all-girl class? I guess I'll just have to drop out of my class too and join you guys," Icarus said jokingly.

Cassandra took a sip of her water. "Who's your teacher?"

"Oh, Ms. Persephone! She's a young goddess, super nice! You guys would love her!"

Icarus scratched his chin. "Persephone? I don't think I've heard of her before. Is she a Demi goddess? Like, the goddess of gardening or something?"

Hércules shrugged his shoulders. "Eh, something like that, I guess. Thespia, a nymph in my class, told me she's the daughter of Demter."

"Demeter?" the shorter boy scratched his chin again, "Now, who's tha-Ow! Cassandra, babe, please, I was just kidding!"

The pink haired girl's pinching of Icarus' ear tightened. "First off, I'm not your _babe_," she retorted, "Second, Demeter is the goddess of the harvest-one of the most important gods in keeping humans alive. You shouldn't joke about her like that. What if we get cursed with bad crops this year or something?"

"Yeah, yeah, I got it! Ouch! Just please let go, would ya?"

Letting go of the shorter boy's ear, Cassandra continued. "Why do you think she'd even want to be a teacher here? I mean, don't you think she'd have better things to do with her time than hang around here with all of these sad and hormonal teenagers?"

Hercules hummed in thought. Why _was _Ms. Persephone teaching here? A teacher that's also a god is pretty unheard of…

"Hm, y'know, I'm really not so sure," he shrugged, "But I'm happy she is. I really think I am going to like this class."

Smiling, the demigod lifted his sandwich in the air as a sign of victory. "Graduation, here I come!"

* * *

**A small cottage on the outskirts of Sicily: **

Persephone had barely arrived-much less gotten through the door-when she was bombarded by questions from her mother.

"Oh Kore, sweetheart! There you are! It was getting dark, I was starting to become worried! Are you hurt? Did you eat already?" The harvest goddess looked at her child with concern.

The pink goddess entered their cozy home and sat down on one side of the oak table, observing as her mother frantically rearranged a large cornucopia on the other end. She internally groaned at the use of her baby name.

"I'm fine, mom," she sighed, playing around with the designs of the flowers on the table, "And do you really need to call me that? I have a full-time job now and everything! I'm already an adult."

Demeter's face scrunched again as her lips formed a pout. "You'll always be my beautiful baby Kore, no matter how old you are. Now, _Ms. Persephone_, how was work today?" She giggled.

Persephone grinned. "Work went fine. I actually really like my students! I can tell they're a good bunch. I'm still adjusting and trying to find my groove, but so far, everything's been peachy!"

"Oh, that's so good to hear, Kore!"" Demeter put the finishing touches on the cornucopia. "You know, when you told me you wanted to get a job, I had hoped you wanted to work with mortal farmers or something. A job closer to home with me… "

"Oh, mother," Persephone pouted, "don't you think it's time I spread my wings and make a name for myself? If I stay with you all of the time, mortals will never know who I am! I mean, I'm not even sure if all of my students could tell I'm a goddess today…"

Demeter looked outraged. "Wha-couldn't tell you were a goddess? Even a _blind _man could see you have the beauty worthy of only a god! Who are these students? I should give them a stern talking to! I'll send locusts their way!"

"Oh, there you go again, mom," she raised her hands in emphasis, "That's not the issue at all. I just want to make a name for myself, and I think I can do just that by teaching at this academy… And besides, I think Hercules may just be one of the best students in the coming year."

"The son of Zeus?" Demeter questioned, "Now why on Earth would that boy want to take a gardening class? If anything, you'd think he want to learn how to… to smite and battle! Like his meat headed father."

The pink goddess shrugged. "He explained that he needs to pass this class in order to graduate and become a hero. The boy looked so worried about failing. Who could fail a gardening class? I just think it's really rather endearing."

"Oh, I can tell this is going to end badly, Kore. That boy brings trouble with him." Demeter's eyes squinted in displeasure.

Persephone crossed her arms. "Mom, I don't get why you need to worry all of the time. I came back home safely, didn't I?"

"Nevertheless, Kore" the green goddess shot her daughter puppy dog eyes, "...It's never too late to work somewhere safer, somewhere closer to home."

"Mom, I told you it's fine! I actually _enjoy _teaching. And it's not like I'm in any life-threatening danger or anything."

"You don't know that…"

Persephone sighed. Her mother could be such a worrywart. "I promise you I'm safe. Besides, it's not like I'm going to get _kidnapped_ or something."

* * *

**Meanwhile, in the Underworld: **

The two small imps ran about in circles, trying to dodge the red-hot fireballs hurled at them. It seemed Hades was fuming again. But what was new? He always seemed to be angry these days.

The god of the underworld roared. "What do you MEAN _'Hercules is going to be graduating this year'?_"

Pain quivered as he hid behind a stalactite. "I-I mean-your most evilness-Hercules started his schooling th-three years ago…"

"S-So he's a high school S-Senior," Panic replied from underneath the table, "A-and he'll be graduating by the end of this y-year, your-your most diabolical one."

Hades pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to calm himself down. He could feel the start of a killer migraine, and if he wasn't so furious he would laugh at that small pun.

"So what you're meaning to tell me is," he smiled passively, his flames at a cool blue, "if wonderboy graduates with the robes and cap and, la-dee-da sense of fulfillment, he'll be on the track to becoming a hero and defeating me? That's what it's looking like, yeah?"

"...Y-yes…" Pain and Panic squeaked.

The lord of the dead grew red-hot, exploding and leaving ash marks around the room. "If I could burn that school down to issues, I'd do it in a heartbeat."

"B-but your heart doesn't beat!" Panic added cheerfully.

Pain continued, "If it did, it would be the most evil heartbeat, your lugubriousness!"

"It was a figure of _speech_," Hades said between clenched teeth. "Ignoring your stupidity for now, I need to find a way to stop _Jerkules_ before my grand plans to takeover Mount Olympus get thrown out like last week's garbage."

Pain waved his hands in the air. "Ooh, Ooh! You could, uh, turn him into a… llama! Or, a frog!"

"Or, uh, take his voice and make him human so he can marry the prince of his dreams?" Panic added.

"What are you two _morons _even babbling about?" Hades snapped, "I need a good plan to stop this yutz! Not some fairytale baloney!"

The two imps cried, holding each other for comfort. "But he's invincible, your most incorporialness! He's a high school _Senior_! He'll be unstoppable once he has a diploma!"

"Not if the brat doesn't graduate," Hades murmured to himself, a hand on his chin. Suddenly, he froze. His eyes widened as he had his 'eureka' moment. He had thought of his most ingenious plan ever.

The lord of the dead snapped his fingers. "That's _it_!"

"W-we're taking his voice?" Panic questioned.

"Wha-NO!" he grasped the two imps in hands, drawing them closer. He had a devious smirk on his face.

"We just gotta find a way to make sure _Jerkules _fails his classes so hedoesn't get walk on that stage. If we can stop the runt from graduating, he'll never become a hero!" He smiled, "If we do that, nothing can stand in the way of my glorious plan to takeover Mount Olympus! Then Mr. High-and-Mighty Zeus can be the one having to deal with all these dead suckers, and _I _can be the King of the gods!" The lord of the dead cackled, already tasting victory.

Pain and Panic cheered happily, dancing around in a celebratory circle. After a few moments, however, the two stopped.

"W-Wait," Pain replied, "but how are we gonna make him fail his classes?"

"That's what I need you for boys." Hades grinned at the two imps, his sharp teeth teething menacingly. "Tell me, what happens to a plant when you give it bad water?"

"I-it doesn't grow…?"

"Exactly! We just need to 'replace the good water'! Catch my drift?"

Panic's eyes widened in understanding. "So the _diploma_ is the water!"

"And his _robes _are the healthy fertilizer!" Pain added.

Hades pinched his nose again. "Sometimes, I wonder why I don't just throw the two of you into Tartarus. NO, you idiots! We need to kidnap his teachers and replace them! If we teach Jerkules the wrong material and fail him, he'll never pass! Never learn what he needs to in order to graduate!"

"Oooooohhhhh," they replied, now fully grasping what their boss wanted.

"Now listen _very _carefully. If this doesn't go according to plan, I will personally turn the _both _of you into carpets!"

"Y-yes, boss!"

"Since I have a meeting with the Fates tomorrow, I can't be there personally to make sure neither of you muck this up, so pay attention!"

Hades moved closer to whisper to the imps, a devious grin on his face. "Now tomorrow, I want the both of you to…"

* * *

Author's notes: There it is! I'm not sure when I'll be able to update, since I also have some other works to polish and update. Hope you all liked it! Please make sure to review/follow/fav!


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